University of Tokyo subsidises rent for female students

The university will give out 30,000 yen per month towards each student's housing costs

The University of Tokyo will subsidise rent for female students.

The prestigious Japanese university is offering 30,000 yen per month to go towards each student’s housing costs from next April. The monetary support will last for two years.

The university hopes the initiative will improve the gender imbalance amongst its intake. Currently, only 20% of the institution’s applicants are female and an even smaller number are accepted post entrance exams.

Tomokazu Haebara, Executive Vice President of the university said visits to secondary schools to encourage female applicants to go to university have made little difference.

To be eligible for the financial support, the student’s family’s home must be more than a 90-minute commute from the Komaba campus. All students spend their first two years on this campus.

Parents often raise concerns about finding safe and secure housing for their daughters if they leave home to study. To address these concerns, the university is seeking 100 apartments close to campus that meet safety and earthquake-resistance standards.

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